The MOON Team

The appearance of something caught Ripley's eye, the quilava already highly paranoid because of her embarrassing fall and subsequent injury. However, it suddenly vanished from view, likely hiding in her own favored shadows. Not favoring how the tables had turned, that she was now the injured prey being watched by some sort of predator, she snarled to herself, backing her long body against the other side of the tunnel. While she was still hungry and the prey had gone the other way, Ripley knew how easily she could be taken down at this point. No prey was very quick with one of their legs taken out of commission.

Hobbling along the side of the tunnel, eyes darting about for the hunter, she made her way along the crags, eventually spotting the small group of pokemon. Her eyes narrowed as she attempted to push down the remainder of her pride. These pokemon she just considered prey... she was now seeking their help? Of all the backward, terrible things to happen... Gritting her teeth and glancing out once more to ensure the hunter was not following, she hobbled closer to the group. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she limped forward a little, hoping they were more hospitable than she. "Uhm..." she began, unsure of what to say, exactly. "...You wouldn't happen to be able to spare anything for an... injured girl... like myself, would you?" She sighed afterward, unsure if her plea had been enough of a plea to get anything. She could only hope for the best.

---

     The Quilava began to limp away, apparently using the cave walls as support. Her eyes darted around nervously, the huntress no longer superior but a potential target. The hidden psychic pokémon followed the Quilava's travel through the cave's twists and turns, but began going off on his own at a hint of the metallic smell of blood in the air. Uxie didn't have to have a hunter's nose to notice it inside the mountain, where the air was dry and open and the slightest smell could travel for a long way. The pixie went ahead to go look for the source, hoping the blood was from living and not from freshly turned infected, and found his wishes proved true.

      A caped Leavanny and scruffy Espeon huddled around an unconscious Swellow, a few darker dots littering the rocky ground. It seemed that the Swellow was just awakening, failing to get up and following it with a cough that echoed loudly through the tunnels. More pokémon. The pixie felt the desire to simply go straight to them and ask for all that they knew, but a legendary in their presence could possibly cause a bit of alarm.

     Seeing the Quilava from before coming into view, the Knowledge pokémon slid away to a curve in the cavern tunnels, using his ability to create illusions to gain the temporary appearance of a Sandshrew. It wasn't exactly the first of Uxie's choices, but it seemed to be the most reasonable pokémon that would not know about the epidemic, and also keep the pixie's identity a secret; though he could make illusions, they occasionally tend to have a yellowish hint, in lieu of the legendary's natural body colour.

---

---

     Under the guise, he stepped out from the shadows, slowly getting closer to the group with an obvious air of hesitation. Though he was determined to discover the knowledge that he had missed, Uxie was still a shy, quiet pokémon. He swallowed down his urges to simply go back, forget his mission and go to sleep; he had to stop being a shut-in if he wanted to find his brothers and sisters. Keeping to his habit of using extensive vocabulary, he called out to the group: "Hello... Do you require any assistance?"

The Ninjask easily kept pace with little Ty. The Eevee had easily taken the lead, no light to guide them but the pitter patter of his adorable little paws eeping the Ninjask hot on his trail. Due to her being the fastest Pokemon out there, the ninja could have easily taken a detour or two and still kept pace. They ran like that for a while, seemed like a few minutes, before she realized that somehow Typhus was no longer in front of her. Fear shot through the ninjask, franticly shooting left and right, the duel type called out in a tone high with worry. "Ty? Typhus?" No immediate response only made the stress within her grow, until there was a tentetive call not far away.

Quickly landing onto the cave floor to silence her buzzing wings, Vani could easily hear the distinctive voice call her name. "...Vani you there?" The bug was up in the air again in a flash, shooting in the direction of the voice. "Typhus!" she cried happily, spotting his tan fur in a dull light. Wait... light?

The Ninjask reached him just as there was an opening, a break in the constant rock and rubble to let them breath in fresh air. "Ty, we did it!" the Ninjask chirped with joy, catching up with the normal type to emerge into the outside world alongside him. The beautiful fading light of dawn was before the duo, illuminating a vast pool of water and a small human cabin. The building itself held a morbid vibe, sending the motherly Pokemon's alarm bells ringing, but as Typhus exclaimed about being able to help Magic, she quickly pushed that away. She flew to the Eevee's side and touched his shoulder gently, smiling down at him. "That you did, Ty!" Vani purred happily. The little Eevee deserved to take the fame, he had led the way after she got lost, after all.

[oc: ahemgee Uxie I love you thank you for choosing my team yes.]

As much as Pro-B hated to admit it, the completely unhelpful Pinkie-Pie was right. They weren't healers. It seemed there was a limit to what even a hero could do. The Leavanny's eyes dropped considerably, and his body took on a certain... slouch. He hated not being able to help, absolutely hated it. A sudden sound from below him, however, caused his back to straighten immediately. Magic had woken up! However, she didn't look very good, not very good at all. She was coughing up even more blood, and was completely unable to stand up. Kneeling down, Pro-B put a flat-arm on Magic's shoulder, gentle enough to not cause discomfort, but firm enough that she hopefully wouldn't try to stand again. "Now you just rest there for a while, Gal-pal, and we'll just wait for Vani to get back with that water, okay?" Careful to keep his voice chipper, he smiled, trying his hardest to sound calm and brave. It wouldn't do if she started to panic.

When another voice entered the conversation, however, Prophet Blade spun around and stood up, to face the new danger. He blinked, however, as it finished its statement. Vani would likely be angry at him for taking on another injured, but... "We could never turned down an injuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuured!" he called, inviting the newcomer to approach. And yet... Pro-B couldn't help but wish he had more help than just Pinkie-Pie over there. As if in answer to his heroic prayers, another newcomer approached, offering assistance. "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!" He cried, spinning around in happiness. "Could you help me attend to our new friend over here?" Now he had all the help he needed! All that he could use now was the water.

((I swear, I was about halfway through a better post when a misclick killed it. >.< Sorry.))

"Eugh..."

Mr. Pink watched almost disinterested as the bird gave out a groan, attempting and failing to rise. Although buried away in the recesses of his mind, the feline had a genuine desire to help the unfortunate avian, such concern was unlikely to ever surface. He was already uncomfortable enough – he had to worry about his own health, mental health most likely, rather than fuss over the Swellow’s little cough. Admittedly, the blood that continued to ooze from her beak suggested that perhaps she had a little more than the common cold.
“Oh hey!” The feline announced with exaggerated joy, sarcasm naturally seeping into his tone. “Afternoon, sleepin’ beauty. We was wonderin’ when you’d get your ass up,” Whilst a hint of malice echoed in his final words, Pink was essentially pleased the bird wasn’t dead. Then again, a fresh body would draw off Undead for a good while. Shaking the thought away, he flashed a crooked grin before turning from the ‘patient’. He presumed Prophet Blade was far more apt to deal with her.

"Uhm...You wouldn't happen to be able to spare anything for an... injured girl... like myself, would you?"

Spinning on his heel to face the newcomer, Charlie’s body was tensed, his dirtied fur bristling at the sudden appearance of a Quilava; a surprisingly attractive Quilava.
“Hello,” The feline muttered to himself, a smirk plastered onto his face as he regarded the wounded fire-type. It appeared his luck was beginning to change having been blessed with a beautiful, but vulnerable girl. Though something about what she’d said gave Pink reason to doubt her innocence. Most of the girls he’d ever known weren’t exactly ‘prim and proper’, rough women who knew what they wanted and manipulated others to achieve their desires. As a sucker for a pretty face, Pink often found himself one of the saps, targeted time after time. Regardless, he deemed the material sacrifices worth their company alone. This Quilava, whilst not quite as common as old acquaintances, was definitely the sort who wanted the group’s company for a reason. Slinking towards her, a mischievous grin stretched across his scraggly face, Pink was planning his words. Despite suspicions of her ulterior motives, the Espeon didn’t particularly care. She was hot, going nowhere soon and he intended to make the upmost of such a fantastic opportunity.
“Well, I-“

"We could never turned down an injuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuured!”

His words were unsurprisingly interrupted by the mantis’ eccentric greeting. The energy sapped from his expression, Pink’s smile vanished, ears flopping down as he accepted defeat. God-fucking-damnit, Pro. He just had to ruin his shot with the fire girl. With a huff, his massive eyes fell back to the Quilava, the previous lust replaced with exasperation.
“Yeah, sure, whatever, doll,”The feline grumbled, stalking back to his previous position. “But we ain’t got no food for ya,”

"Hello... Do you require any assistance?"

“Oh, c’mon!” The words just plummeted out of his mouth. Not another one!? Another damn arrival begging for their charity. Well, this one was offering his own assistance, but Pink had no doubt they would eventually be paying for it. Again, the ground-rat was given a fair greeting and soon ushered towards Magic’s injured form. “Hey wait a minute!” A frown had surfaced over his features as he trotted towards the avian and the two ‘healers’. His glare falling on the Sandshrew, nose curled up in distaste, Pink took it upon himself to watch out for the injured. Despite Pro-B’s beliefs, not everyone could be trusted. He addressed the mantis as he spoke, brow raised in disbelief. “We’ve just met this guy and ya gonna have his paws running all over Mag?”

Typhus was momentarily transfixed, watching the sky turn ever brighter, as if somewhere in the back of his head he had resigned to the fact that he would never see the light of day after entering that cave. Especially after the undead run-ins. It was as if every new place he entered may possibly be the last place he ever saw, and that thought alone would have made the old Typhus cower in a hole and block out reality all over again.

Even as the growing light started to burn his sensitive eyes, even through his shades, and caused him to view the world from narrowed eyes, he still could not look away. And he didn’t know why.

It was the call of a familiar voice that pulled him out of his stupor. A voice that he was starting to believe he had heard the last of. Calm yourself Ty, Father wouldn’t cry and neither should you

She came up fast, whether because she was happy to see him, or to get out was questionable. But nonetheless she did the same thing he had done, probably the most instinctual thing anyone would do given the circumstances. So he stood there again, watching the sky for a bit longer with her, the marvel of it all and all it meant hitting them, the gentle pressure on his shoulder reassuring him that this was indeed happening, and he wasn’t still in a hole living in his own world. He was actually doing something useful for someone else, just like what his father would do.

Ty snapped himself out of that mindset before his eyes started to tear up. They still were not finished, in fact, they were only half way done…

Ty sighed, as much as the light burned his eyes, and he looked the cool refreshing feeling of the dark, he didn’t want to go back into that pitch dark cave so soon, but he had to. Magic was probably in dire need of that water, and every moment counted. “We should probably get a move on and go find them and lead them here huh?” And Typhus physically gulped in anxiety at the next thing he said, cause it wasn’t what he would say, but what his father would most likely say….. “If you want you can stay here and check out the building while I go get the others.”

He would much rather be the one to stay and not go in the cave again alone, but his father would most likely insist that Vani be the one to enjoy the open air.

((Very sorry about the lateness, been a bit busy >.<))

Magic wasn't feeling so well so far, but she managed to crawl up. Her hearing was somewhat down at the moment, and she couldn't hear what the others were saying. Then, she wobbles off to the side, knocking her head on a wall. Falling to the ground again, a group of undead clefairy come from the darkness and drag her away.

([ooc: Leaving post.])

Eugh.

It was the only word that came to mind as the espeon slinked closer to her, quickly sleeing his eyes wander all over her form. Disgusting. Her eyes narrowed and her brow climbed as he drew closer, her sharp gaze catching every disshevled clump of fur. "Well, I--" he began, before the obnoxious bug announced the group's hospitality. She flinched at just how loud the bug was, her eyes staying on him a while as her mind reeled at just how... ridiculous this guy was. The espeon's cheer -thankfully- doused, he slinked back to his previous spot. "Yeah, sure, whatever, doll. But we ain’t got no food for ya."

'So you think,' Ripley grumbled in her mind, taking a spot adjacent to the espeon. As much as she already loathed the creature, she didn't want him slinking off somewhere she couldn't keep track of him. A sandshrew soon appeared, causing her to tense slightly, as she was still injured and unable to properly defend herself. While the bug seemed all to happy to take in another survivor, the espeon was more on her line of thinking.

“Oh, c’mon!" His exasperated tone produced a smirk on her face, the scene almost comical. Maybe there was some use to staying with these guys after all. She might not be able to pick and choose which prey she wanted, but at least there was entertainment. Her eyes strayed around the camp, searching for some satchel or stash of food for her light paws. Seeing none right off the bat, she went to contently licking her injury, until rumbling vibrated beneath her.

A sudden swarm of clefairy, crimson eyes betraying the disease that had a hold of them, suddenly surrounded the wounded bird, carting her off down a tunnel. For a moment, Ripley had stood, ready to fight, but was dumbfounded by the horde's actions. They just... came and took her -and only her- away? "The fuck was that?" The words fell out of her mouth, her eyes still on the now vacant tunnel the clefairy had taken.

Vani was estatic, the sight was so beautiful. It was the first time she had seen the all too natural ocurance of the dawn's greeting without Pectus. Something ruptured within the Ninjask at the rememberence of the Shedinja. P- Pectus... Shaking her head and purposely shoving her negative counterpart from her mind, she turned to smile at the Eevee beside her. Vani was shocked to see how emotional he suddenly was, the tears almost starting to accumulate around his brown eyes. Having no idea in the world for why he would react that way, she merely smiled when his gaze drifted to her. Best to leave him to his own thoughts, she figured.

but then the adorable little fox finally spoke, his voice not betraying any hidden feelings swirling within his head. “We should probably get a move on and go find them and lead them here huh?” The duel type nodded mutely, her eyes holding a warmth and admiration for young Ty. The anxiety and fear was more than clear in his demenor, yet he was acting so strong. Vani truly felt a motherly pride grow within her for you Eevee. “If you want you can stay here and check out the building while I go get the others," Ty then suggested, catching her off gaurd. The Ninjask blinked wide eyes, not expecting him to say that of all things. Splitting up was the last thing they needed to do.

But she agreed, anyway.

"Hmm... that might be our only choice, huh sweetie?" Smiling apologeticly, Vani moved further into the light before turning her back onto the growing sun. "Very well. You go and be as fast as Deoxys! I will wait right here for when you return." Hidden words behind her eyes fought to be spoken - Be safe. If anything were to happen to you, Ty, I would never forgive myself.- but she bit them back, forcing an encouraging smile. Her eyes never left the cave's darkness until the Eevee was completely taken from her sights.

Prophet Blade was starting to tire of Pinkie Pie's negativity. Of course he wasn't going to let a stranger deal with Magic, he was going to have the stranger work on the stranger! Didn't he listen? It was a foolproof plan, and he was quite proud of himself for coming up with it. For just a moment, he turned his back to clear a space for the new girl. Just a moment. At the sound of scuffing behind him, he turned around.

But he was already too late.

Magic was trying to scamper away again. Pro-B had told her to stay put... He took three steps after her, but stopped when he saw her take a dive into the wall. His eyes widened, and he was about to move again when the monsters showed up. They came out of nowhere, swarmed Magic, and started to carry her away. Prophet Blade ran as fast as he could, after all, it was a short distance to close, but the last Clefairy ducked into the darkness just before he could reach it.

He wasn't fast enough.

Eyes wide in shock, Pro-B dropped to his knees. "G... G-gal pal?" His head rolled forward and his long arms fell behind his back. He had failed. He had well and truly failed. He just... He just wasn't good enough. He couldn't save Magic, and who knew if he would be able to save the others? Vani and Ty were alone looking for water to help her, and he had let those monsters take her. He had ruined everything. For the first time in a very long while, Prophet Blade allowed himself to cry.

Pink’s gaze had been wandering between the two newcomers; a distrustful glower directed towards the Sandshrew before making the transition into an amused, almost flirtatious smirk as he caught sight of the Quilava. Damn, least some good had come out of this. Straightening himself up, the psychic-type let his attention drift from the healers and their patient, instead planning a means of wooing the female thankfully gracing his presence. He could tell already she was going to be a challenge, but what the hell, he needed to brush up his skills anyway – not that there was anything wrong with them in his bulbous eyes. Using a paw to groom back a tuff of matted fur intruding his line of vision, a small grin had established itself on the feline’s grimy face as his mind transported him far from the caves encasing him. But glimpse of a pale-pink mass in his periphery sent him plummeting back to the present.
“Geez!” He exclaimed loudly, panicked as he spun on his heel to face the scene. Back arched, raggedy fur standing on end in surprise, Pink’s expression screamed confusion. It was a gathering of Clefairys, disappearing into the darkness with Magic as their prize.

"The fuck was that?"

Mr. Pink couldn’t have said it better himself. Jaw hanging agape in disbelief, the Espeon’s body relaxed as his bulging eyes strained to see whether the creatures had company – it always paid to be careful. He could see nothing, but that was never a guarantee of safety. Looking about himself, concerned for his own wellbeing rather than the ragtag group surrounding him, Pink struggled to speak.
“I –“ Seriously, there was nothing to say – no explanation, no remotely logical idea to put forward. Baffled, Charlie caught the fire-type’s eyes, eventually shrugging his shoulder. “Fuck it, I’m getting outta here,” Vani and Typhus were probably lost, maybe even dead from their own mob of Clefairys, but it was obvious they weren’t coming back. Mind made up, the feline rose to his feet, everything forgotten as he set his sights on keeping his own skin safe.

"G... G-gal pal?"

He didn’t want to. He really didn’t want to, but Pink stopped. The devastation in the mantis’ voice had caught him off guard and as he turned his scruffy head to Pro, his chest ached. Oh geez, please don’t cry. Overcome with an awkward guilt, the Espeon emitted a defeated huff, legs carrying him to the Leavanny’s side despite the frantic orders from his mind.
“Hey, c’mon,” Comforting had never been the feline’s strong point. “Nothing could’ve been done. Blighters were just too quick – even for a hero,” Forcing an gauche chuckle, Charlie silenced as he looked hurriedly between the distraught creature and the direction of Magic’s ceremonious disappearance. No matter how many tears fell from Prophet Blade’s eyes, Pink was not going to hang around forever. Unwilling to threaten his safety out of some misplaced sensitivity, the Espeon turned sharply away. “We gotta go. I ain’t waitin’ to see if there’s more of ‘em,”

"Very well. You go and be as fast as Deoxys! I will wait right here for when you return."



Crap, Crap, and double Crap Now Typhus had to go back into the dark dark cave alone again, and witness the suffocating loneliness of that place. He definitely had mixed emotions about the dark right now. On the one had he liked that it kept him cooled off, and didn’t hurt his eyes at all, but he just wished it didn’t have to bring about the nerve wracking unknown with it, where something can come out at any moment. But the faster he got it over with the faster he can get back to Vani he guessed.

So Typhus gave a swift nod to Vani, "I'll be back with the whole group before you know it." Using the last of his confidence to put Vani at ease.

Glasses off again, the eevee went running through the dark, ignoring his paws shaking like crazy with every step. Already missing the warmth of the sun by the time he rounded a corner and tried to figure out exactly which way he came from. It was times like these that he certainly loved being born an eevee, a pokemon of canine features with a stronger nose than normal to boot. Finding his own paws tracks made things soooooo much easier.

The slight echoing of mumbling speech hit his floppy ears, and gave Typhus renewed stamina, making his paws twice as light at the prospect of seeing his friends again, even Mr. Pink with his constant sour demeanor could not dull his mood. He and Vani would be the heroes Magic needed, and he can just imagine even Pro-B’s words of praise from their completed task.

Ty skidded to a halt at the familiar group, a strange flame making his eyes instinctively squint to protect his sensitive pupils. “Wow, we leave for a bit and you all multiply” Giving a slight smirk towards Mr. Pink, hoping he managed to pull off a knowing smirk…

Deep breath Ty, don’t let them know how freaked out you were just running here

“Anyways, we hit the jackpot, clean water, an abandoned shed, and warm sun. So grab Magic and let’s get the hell out of here already, Vani is waiting for us back there.” He exclaimed, already ready to high tail it out of there before something bad happened. To busy trying to be the savior he wished he was to notice the grim mood in the air.

It seemed the bird had been quite the beloved member of the jolly little group she'd found herself smack dab in the middle. The bug seemed to be quietly lamenting over her deisappearance, and even the scraggly Eeveelution took to consoling him over it. Ripley, of course, remained merely surprised at the circumstances that had robbed them of their precious bird. She stared hard at the tunnel the clefairy had taken, convinced that the bird was now becoming one of them.

A frown crossed her lips. There was nothing to mourn over. She would have probably died anyway. Anything injured in this new world had little chance... at least, anything that didn't know what they were doing. Quickly disassociating herself with the now absent bird, she put her frayed mind at ease. If some horde of psychotic infected clefairy came for her, she certainly wouldn't just allow it to happen-- more than one of those marshmallows would be melted. Allowing herself a dignified snort, she turned to the direction where a trail of pawprints rapidly sounded, signaling a gallop. Something small was coming their way, and fast.

The dim light revealed the eevee she'd hurt her paw hunting previously, the image procuring a small, quiet growl from the quilava. Little brat. If he'd just stayed still, she wouldn't be in this situation: listening to a few bleeding hearts ramble on a lost cause and instead feasting on that eevee's innards. She marked him in her mind with a vendetta; she would get her revenge for being made a fool.

“Anyways, we hit the jackpot: clean water, an abandoned shed, and warm sun. So grab Magic and let’s get the hell out of here already, Vani is waiting for us back there.” Ripley frowned, standing on all three working limbs as she slowly made her way toward him. She could only guess the "Magic" person he spoke of was the bird. Ha.

"She's dead. A bunch of clefairy took her," she muttered bluntly as she moved past him, hobbling after his very pungeant scent that snaked throughout the cave. Knowing she could just follow his trail, she took no heed in waiting for the others, grabbing a head start in front of the able-bodied pokemon behind her.

---

(I apologize for my absence the previous turn, and tardy for this turn. My internet has been a bit spastic.)

The disguised Knowledge pokémon only blinked and stepped back in mild surprise at the unexpected attack on the awakening Swellow. The bird hadn't even made a single noise when she woke up, not the slightest sound of horror or pain as the small group of infected Clefairy dragged the young girl away into the dark, and it was too late by the time anyone else in the group had been aware or recovered enough from the surprise to save her. It was a disappointment, the loss of the Swellow, but the 'Sandshrew' only tapped at his chin in thought, looking down at the lines on the smooth, trampled floor of the cave.

So were these infected capable of targeting only one prey at a time, instead of mindlessly trying to slaughter all in the group? A murderer who had the ability to use strategy, to be shrewd was a dangerous opponent. Add on to that, undead that couldn't feel pain and wouldn't stop their destruction until there was nothing else to destroy. It was like the dream of a dictator or war leader, and a work of fiction; an army of unstoppable pokémon. Were such things possible? The pixie's eyes narrowed, before looking back at the group before him.

The green bug seemed broken and sad at the loss of his bird friend; tears dripped down the yellow cheeks that had a grin spread over only a few minutes ago. The huntress Quilava seemed, quite simply, not very amused with a frown across her lips and an almost condescending air about her. The Espeon, who had so distastefully glared at the Uxie in disguise earlier, was already attempting to condole the tearful Leavanny. Among the emotionally scattered group, the 'Sandshrew' looked around with a very straight face. Emotions were not his forte, and never had been, for Uxie was not the 'emotion pokémon'; that was the job given to his dear sister, Mesprit.

Perhaps he should’ve said something about the situation, as to seem less… awkward. However, the patter of paws soon came echoing down the tunnels, and revealed the source to be a young Eevee. An excited, nervous air seemed to surround the Evolution pokémon, and he looked at the group with what were apparently sunglasses over his eyes. How he could see in the dark caves with sunglasses was a mystery. It appeared that the Eevee already knew most of the pokémon in the group, and had brought excitement and news of outside and sun. ”So grab Magic and let’s get the hell out of here already,” he stated, and Uxie tilted his head. He could only assume that ‘Magic’ had been the ill Swellow. How ironic that she had disappeared in the blink of an eye, shrouded in the dark as if swallowed by a magic trick.

The Quilava immediately stated the group’s loss of the bird, before moving on past the evolution fox down the route that he had just came. The ‘Sandshrew’ gave a slow blink, before looking to the Eevee afterwards. ”What the Quilava says is true,” he added. ”Assuming ‘Magic’ had been the Swellow, she had just been carried off by a group of Clefairy as she woke up.” Then he fell silent. Uxie had approached the group under the impression that he would help the Swellow’s illness. However, the bird was gone, and he doubted the group was in a mood to tell him any information of any kind. He had at least gained some ideas from the sudden Clefairy attack, though, and supposed he could be done here and try the next area for questions and answers that the curious pokémon sought…

[ooc: Skip me this turn.]

Prophet Blade's sobs didn't echo off the close walls of the cave, luckily. He managed to hold at least a shred of dignity while he mourned the loss of his friend. When Pink actually tried to comfort him, however, he sniffled a few times, then stopped. He was right. There was nothing that even Prophet Blade could do. Wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of his arm, he stood up slowly. "Th... Thank you." The tragic event had shaken Pro-B, that much was obvious. But he wouldn't let himself ignore the needs of the others. These folk needed a hero, not some half-wit crying over a lost cause. A breeze in the cave caught Pro-B's cape ever so slightly, allowing it to ruffle in the wind. Prophet Blade hadn't felt this confident in a long while. It was time to regroup with everyone.

Once again, as if in answer to his prayers, Ty returned, probably just ahead of Vani. The others had already filled him in, so Pro-B just walked on ahead behind the little Eevee. "Let's goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" he called, wanting to get the rest of the group together. If Vani was alone, then she could be in danger as well. Best for everyone to be together. Besides, what good was a hero if he couldn't protect everybody?

“Wow, we leave for a bit and you all multiply,”

Pink had been on the way out of the cave, a little repulsed at his own kindness towards the downhearted hero of the group, when Typhus has leapt into his vision. Jumping at the sight and accompanying voice, the psychic-type met his estranged sibling’s smirk with a frown. He was on edge enough with the mysterious Clefairy attack – he wasn’t in the mood for people to continue leaping out of the darkness with smartass comments. However, as he continued, Charlie looked nervously, awkwardly behind him. Ty and Vani had left them with a sickly bird for what, ten minutes, and they’d already gone and lost her. …Ah… Awkward… Licking his lips nervously, Mr. Pink contemplated a delicate way to break the bad news, but was beaten to the announcement by the recently arrived Quilava.

"She's dead. A bunch of clefairy took her,”

Wincing at her blunt words, Pink was admittedly somewhat pleased she had taken it upon herself to dish out the cold, hard truth. But still, Typhus was a sensitive kid – he didn’t want to have to console another over-emotional ‘friend’.
“Geez, no beating around the bush for you, sweetheart,” He commented, adopting an irritated tone despite a small smirk playing on his lips. She was certainly a tough-one, this new fire-type proving a particularly exciting challenge. Abruptly shaking away his amusement, knowing that his company might mistake it for joy over Magic’s disappearance, and most likely death, Pink listened in rare silence as the Sandshrew confirmed the news. Thank god he was at least a fraction gentler.

"Let's goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

Pro-B had seemingly recovered from his moment’s depression, his peppy spirit returned as he announced to the whole world that it was indeed time to go. Grumbling under his breath, scraggly ears flattened against his head, Pink watched the Quilava disappear into the darkness up ahead whilst he was left with the familiar group of misfits. Then again, it wasn’t too different from life in the gang. Managing a half-hearted smile at Typhus as he walked onwards, some instinct compelled him to check the kid was okay – he was his brother after all.
“Sorry kid,” He spoke with the closest thing to tenderness someone like Pink could manage. “The blighters came outta nowhere and took her – s-she’ll be okay though,” It was a lie; she was as good as dead in the Espeon’s mind. Perhaps it was best to move swiftly on. “The Sandshrew and Quilava reckon they’re joining us too, personally I’m all up for ditching ‘em,”

"She's dead. A bunch of clefairy took her,"

Ty’s mind literally went blank….he heard the words, they even echoed a bit in his own head, but for some reason they just did not want to get through to his brain. Like the meaning was lost to him, yet the significance could not be so easily cast away. His body momentarily frozen in the midst of trying to catch up to its surroundings.

”What the Quilava says is true, Assuming ‘Magic’ had been the Swellow, she had just been carried off by a group of Clefairy as she woke up.”

The second time though….that was when it hit him, and it hit him hard. He looked back at the limping form of the qualava, its bright flames betraying the darkness of which it so bluntly gave the news to him, and at the sandslash who’s sympathetic face was now turned away. He was looking for some hint, the smallest of tells that they were just in a large elaborate prank at Ty’s expense. That Magic would start laughing her beak off and reveal herself from behind a rock or from above, or something. But even though he waited, no swallow revealed itself.

"Let's goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Pro-B was heading off….he was the one that was carrying Magic last….Ty couldn’t figure out why would the superhero pokemon want everyone to head off without his appointed sidekick? Those two were so close before he and Vani left the group for a bit, Ty figured Pro-B would be the last leave the Swellow’s side….

“Sorry kid, The blighters came outta nowhere and took her – s-she’ll be okay though,”

“She’ll be okay? SHE'LL BE OKAY!?” Ty literally blew up at Pink, the fact that this was indeed not a joke was basically shoved into his face by strangers, and now the pokemon he had left Magic with were brushing her death off as if it was nothing???

“Why the hell didn’t you go after them? You said it yourself, they took her, not they ‘Took her body’. She was probably still alive dammit! Ugh, but you probably don't care do you!? Just means you don't have to carry her anymore!” Tears already started forming behind covered eyes, his dark shades hiding from the word the sight of those overemotional eyes right now. “For all we know she could be being tortured right now by who knows what; and you two don’t even give a shit! I’d expect that from you Pink, but what the hell did you do to Pro-B to make him not care?!”

Ty marched off, not even wanting to hear the answer really, he was just too angry, too hurt, too betrayed even, he didn’t know what to do with these emotions. Living in a hole for who knows how long makes it so one’s emotions don’t get taxed, so now….having to have all this shit shoved at him out of nowhere, Ty didn’t know how to cope.

Yeah, he had heard deaths right outside his hole many times before, even looked away and hid so that the pokemon wouldn’t see him and plead to him, forcing the eevee to help. But now….it was different, he actually got to know Magic, got to care for her and everything. And the worst was that Pro-B and Pink weren’t even taking her death that seriously, just dismissing her as if she never existed and going on with their lives…..Pink even flirting it up with that blunt-as-fuck quilava, who Ty already didn’t like…..that was what he was supposed to be doing….well…not the flirting part…But Typhus was the one who was supposed to shy away from the problems, to act like nothing is going on and move on, not dwelling on the hard stuff, he was never supposed to be the one wanting to go into danger for a friend ….it just wasn’t fair.

The sooner i get these bastards to Vani, the sooner i can go look for them. Shit....Vani…..i promised her I’d get them all back safe and everything…..Fuck….what am I gonna tell her….

((sorry for the lateness, the weekend was just not cooperative for me -.- ))

As a former assassin, a former taker of lives, death in any form wasn't all that surprising. Ripley lacked empathy, sympathy, or any emotion that didn't make her a cold, heartless bitch. No, all of those things had been buried long ago when her trainer had betrayed her. When the eevee -that still should have been her prey- began ranting to the espeon, all she could manage was a scoff. Shrill little fruit bat. She died, get over it.

As she kept hobbling along, she mumbled to herself, loud enough for the others to hear, though. "She was sick to begin with. What makes you think that she would have made it anyway?" Expecting pokemon to risk their necks for another pokemon already marked for death by Nature itself was just dumb. "She's still out there if you want to go after her."

“The Sandshrew and Quilava reckon they’re joining us too, personally I’m all up for ditching ‘em,” the espeon added, before the eevee erupted into a rage. While the little brat didn't seem to care for the statement, Ripley did. She paused to look back at the scruffy thing, weighing how much energy would be used to go over there and kick his ass herself. Then again, her wrist still hurt... so she would just wait until he was in closer viscinity. Shooting him an angry glare instead, she flared her fire-fur and continued walking along the scent trail the eevee had been so kind in leaving.

The sun crept slowly over the horizon, the light filtering through the trees to rest upon the sleeping face of a weary human. The female lay against the trunk of an ancient tree, hand clutched firmly around a bow made of solid purpleheart wood. Amethyst eyes flutter open as sleep gradually fades in the presence of the morning sun, the waking world gentle in its greeting. Mornings such as these were rare in this post-apocalyptic world, creatures of the night preferring to slaughter you in your sleep than to challenge properly.

At her feet a proud and powerful canine lays watch, eyes scanning the forest for anything that may cause his Companion harm. His watch is nearly over as the night is slowly fading away and he can sense the slow rising of the female beside him. As her body shifts and moves to allow the mind to adjust to a waking state he moves to his feet, nudging her gently to let her know that he is still with her. She reaches down and scratches his neck, the hound returning the gesture with an affectionate nuzzle to her leg. She pulls her weapons and quiver back on and the duo rises to greet the morning.

This pair is Amalas and Dremus, Companions and former Hunters of the Arakhora Clan. The Epidemic tore them from the clan-mates and their home, forcing the pair to hunt for what remains of their fellows in any of the remaining campsites. For now they travel to the Mt. Moon campsite, but are still a day away from reaching their destination. They have already searched two of their clans normal camps, but found no trace, so they are hoping that this one will be different. Looking down at her Compaion Amalas issued a whistle and tapped her quiver. "Come Dremus, time to move. We will catch breakfast on the way." Dremus only nodded in response to his Companion and jumped in front to lead the way.

((OOC: Hey guys! Great to be on the team! Amalas and Dremus are going to be hanging outside the mountain for a couple of posts, so if you guys come out before they go in that's cool with me. ^_^))

---

And just like that, they had moved on. The group of pokémon began moving out in the direction the Eevee had just emerged from, with varying degrees and ranges of emotion on their faces. The Quilava seemed the most unfazed of them all: she was a respectable huntress in Uxie's opinion, not letting emotions hinder her performance. She would be a survivor, the psychic reckoned, and perhaps it would've been nice to stick around to see how she would fare.

However, he could not stay. He doubted he could get much information from trailing after these pokémon in the darkness of Mount Moon, and as for the outside of the landmark, Uxie had already looked around and found nothing of particular interest. He also had to continue on his search for his brother and sister, and know the whereabouts of the other legends. These normal, mortal pokémon surely wouldn't have any idea; they knew nearly nothing of the world of legendaries, other than through stories and myths. Staying with them would give Uxie no further benefit.

While the others went to the direction from which the Eevee came, presumably the exit, the disguised psychic headed to the opposite direction. It was dark in the cavern, and very likely that even if his illusion crumbled now, it would be hard to see Uxie in his true form; yet he did not want to take any chances. There was a reason legendaries rarely ever showed themselves to humans or regular pokémon. Doing so often begged for chaos. Once the 'Sandshrew' was plenty far enough into the darkness, he closed his eyes and let the illusion fade; but he did not stay there for very long, for Uxie was gone in a teleporting flash before the next second passed.

(This is a leaving post. Apologies for not doing much here, but I must move on.)

((Skip please, was only stalling for Ciana as best I could. Not much to say except PRo-B followed the others.))

“She’ll be okay? SHE'LL BE OKAY!?”

To say Pink was surprised at Typhus’ outburst was an understatement. Ragged fur standing on end as his younger sibling practically exploded with his vain attempt at comforting the emotional pup, the look of surprise soon shifted into one of annoyance. Frowning, eyes narrowed, the Espeon took every opportunity to speak, to defend himself.
“Hey! It’s not my fucking problem!” He snapped harshly. Ty continued, claiming they could have done something and pursued the sickly damsel – hell, she would have died anyway! Even though Charlie wouldn’t have risked his own scraggly skin for the avian under any circumstance, the kid didn’t understand how quick the whole situation had happened – he couldn’t have acted if he’d wanted. Ears flattening against his head, dirtied features contorted into one of venom at being talked down to by his own brother, Pink wasn’t about to accept such bullshit.

As the mouthy kid finished his rant, storming away like a fucking prima donna, Pink was quick on his heels. Tail lashing furiously behind him, the psychic moved with a surprising speed as he stalked bitterly alongside.
“Listen, kid,” Charlie had adopted a particularly venomous tone, betraying a past occupation in crime where he wasn’t considered just some scraggly, sleazy coward – oh no, Pink was dangerous. “You think you got the right to talk to me like some piece of shit? Honestly, I don’t care about the damn bird, don’t give a flying fuck about her – yet you think I’ll get myself killed trying to save her feathery ass?!” Despite it all, the feline’s tone was eerily calm, cruel but lacking his typical emotion. As the Quilava muttered her own two cents, Pink, in full agreement, gave a short, bitter laugh. “Thank you! At least someone’s not hell-bent on acting the fucking hero!”

Temper evoked, the psychic turned sharply away, posture hunched as a scowl remained immovable from his features. As irritating as the Eevee was proving, the Espeon practically seething from his lecture, Charlie knew he could only be so harsh. Ty was his flesh and blood, his long, lost brother who had grown a pair of balls in their time apart. Still, as the elder, the cat was by no means prepared to let the little shit walk over him. Nostrils flaring, Pink risked a quick glance to Typhus, annoyed that he hadn’t the pleasure of seeing his eyes – he could’ve sworn he detected some sadness in his voice. Whilst he wasn’t about to apologise, give the kid a break, something in the recesses of his heart was beginning to ache at his harsh words. Turning abruptly away in a bid to abandon the guilt, the sensitivity, struggling to break free from their shackles, Pink was relieved when light finally flooded into the darkness.

Sweet Legends Almighty, this Eevee was sure asking for it! The both of them, really. Even as the mangy espeon seemed to appreciate her earlier remark, Ripley still didn't care for the cat. He'd already expressed his intentions for getting rid of her and the sandshrew. Which... Pausing for a moment, Ripley then realized that the weird ground type was now missing. Though she approved of its absence, anyone mysteriously disappearing was always suspicious nowadays... She'd need to watch her back more than she already was.

The Eevee went on another rampage, the two relations spiraling into a near brawl. Snorting, venting her frustration, she turned back to the two, snarling, her fire flaring in sync with her anger. "Would you shut the hell up, you little RAT?!" she snapped, her mind now thinking it'd be worth the pain to kill them both. At least she'd get a decent meal out of the Eevee. The Espeon looked like it had worms. "She's FUCKING gone. Get over it. At least you're still alive to complain about it." Snorting again, she hobbled more, eager to get out of the echoing corridors of the cave.

Light was ahead, and Legends above, even though daytime was not her favorite time of night, she was ready to get away from these lunatics.

Her aim was steady as the female balanced herself behind a stone, bow in full draw as she drew slow, even breaths. The deadly tip of her arrow was trained perfectly between the eyes of a feeding Tranquil as it pecked at its catch, a small Cherubi who didn't stand a chance versus the large bird. While she felt some remorse for having to take the life of a living creature she and Dremus needed to eat and the bird was just large enough to feed them both.

A soft zing was heard as her bow snapped back and the arrow released, the point cutting through the air with precision and striking the heart of her target. Dremus was lightning fast as he rushed through the brush to snatch the bird by the neck and carried it quickly to his Companion. Laying the kill softly at her feet he began using his fangs to rip the feathers from their meal. Once thoroughly plucked he sat and watched as Amalas pulled out her knife from the sheath on her right leg and began to carve the insides. As usual he was offered the organs and he ate them greedily, too hungry to care that some of them were less than appetizing.

It took a while but Amalas was finally able to cook the bird over a small fire. She had to keep it as small as possible to not attract attention, but the smell of cooking flesh was also bound to catch attention so they had to eat quickly. The Companions scarfed their food as quickly as possible, Dremus burying what remained when they finished, before they moved as far away from their feeding site as possible. If something followed the smell of their breakfast it sure as hell was not going to find them still lingering.

Dremus walked steadily beside his Companion, sometimes nudging her leg to alert her that his senses had caught something she hadn't. During those times she would duck behind a tree and ready her bow while he would scout the area. It was their routine, how they survived out in the Epidemic alone, and it worked for them. As they drew closer to one of the entrances to Mt. Moon Dremus's nose caught something heavy in the air. The smell of life was now a heavy scent in the air, signifying multiple creatures near their destination. Bumping Amalas the Mightyena quickly moved to the treeline to watch as shadows moved around in the mouth of the cave leading into the mountain. Growling softly to himself Dremus waved his tail low twice, their signal that Amalas should keep put and wait for him.

((OOC: Since it read like you were possibly exiting the cave now feel free to notice Dremus on your exit. Amalas though is to remain hidden until he signals her. ^_^))